Chair



(No Model.)

J. W. HAMILTON.

No. 485,325. Patented Nov. 1; 1892.

W? .9506. Jnwn'iar 07716 6 i ,B A ix 1 .4523 y UNITED Srrvrns PATENTOFFIC JOHN W. HAMILTON, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 485,325, dated November1, 1892.

Application filed March 21, 1892.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN W. HAMILTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Chairs, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in chairs; and the object of myinvention is to provide a chair having a flexible seat and back soconstructed and arranged within a supporting-frame that the partsthereof will readily adjust themselves to the person of the occupant.

To this end my invention consists, in connection with asupporting-frame, of a flexible back and a flexible seat connectedtogether by rigid angular connecting-pieces, the back and seat thusformed being suspended within the frame from the top and front,respectively, so that a depression of the seat produces a correspondingmovement of the back. Iattain these objects by the constructions shownin the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view of my improvedchair in perspective, some of the parts being broken away to moreclearly illustrate the construction thereof. Fig. 2 is a diagrammaticview illustrating the arrangement and suspension of the seat and back,together with their operation. Fig. 3 is an enlarged View, partlyinsection, of a portion of the same in detail, showing the angularconnecting-pieces between the back and seat and the method of connectingthe same. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a detailedView, partly in section, of the front supporting connection between theseat and main frame.

Like parts are represented by similar letters of reference in theseveral Views.

In the said drawings, a or represents the supporting-frame, which may beof any desired construction or conformation to support the seat I? andback 0, respectively. I have shown this frame act with rockers a a; butI wish it to be understood that the particular kind of frame is notessential, so long as it furnishes the proper supports for the seat andback, in the manner hereinafter more fully specified.

The frame a a is provided at the top or Serial No. 425,689- (No model.)

back portion with a cross-bar a and at the front of the seat portionwith a connecting rung or bar a". The back a is constructed, preferably,of a series of slats 0', preferably perforated and strung on orotherwise secured to flexible supporting-wires 0 which extend along orthrough the entire series of slats. These slats are preferably separatedby spacing-blocks 0 which are also preferably pierced to receive thesupporting-wires 0 The seat?) is also formed of flexible slats orcross-- pieces I), supported on each side on flexible supporting-strips19 of leather, thin metal, or other suitable flexible supports. Thesupporting-wires c of the back and the flexible strips 11 of the seatare connected together at a suitable angle, preferably slightly greaterthan ninety degrees, by rigid angular connecting pieces cl. These piecesare preferablyformed of steel and of sufficient size and thickness tosecure the proper amount of rigidity. One of these pieces is preferablyemployed at each side of the seat and back at the rear corner thereof,though a greater number may be employed, if desired. Theconnecting-pieces are each formed at the'top with a projecting ear orflange at, through which the supporting-wire o of the back is passed,the end of the wire being bent at right angles and riveted in an openingformed in the body of the connecting-pieces, as shown at (P. (See Fig.3.) The flexible supporting-strip b of the seat is secured to the otherwing or leg of the angular connecting-piece d by rivets or any othersuitable connection, as shown in Fig. 3.

The back is preferably secured to the crossbar a by screw-eyes e, whichare inserted in the bottom of the bar a into which the wire is fastenedin a well-known manner. The flexible supporting-strips b of the seat areconnected at their outer ends to the cross bar or run a at the front ofthe frame a a. No other connection is formed between the frame and theback and seat. The result of this construction is that the rigid angularconnecting-pieces d operate in the nature of bellcranks to cause anymovement of the flexible seat I) to be transmitted to the flexible backc-that is to say, a depression of the flexible seat b will produce adownward movement of the horizontal leg of the connecting-pieces d. Thiswill produce an inward movement of the top of the vertical leg of saidconnectlng-piece, thus producing an inward movement of the back, asshown in dotted lines in Flg. 2. The result of this construction is thatthe seat and back are both adjusted to the person of the occupant by theweight of the occupant upon the chair.

In order to secure a yielding or cushion edge for the front of the seat,I preferably construct the cross bar or run a with a central depression,as shown at a, by cutting away the top of said bar, so that the flexibleslat or slats b of said seat, which stand over said bar, will besupported at the ends only, thus permitting a certain amount offlexibil- 1ty to the seat at this point, permitting it to yield underthe weight of the occupant.

A chair as thus described, it will be seen, is extremely simple in itsconstruction, while at the same time it is readily and automaticallyadjustable to the person of the occupant by the weight of the occupantupon the seat.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a chair, asupporting-frame and a flexible back and seat joined together by rig dangular connecting-pieces and supported 1n said frame at the top andfront only of said back and seat, respectively, substantially asspecified.

2. In a chair, a supporting-frame,a flexible seat and back arranged atan angle to each other and connected together by rigid angularconnecting-pieces, a supporting-bar on sald frame, from which the backis suspended at the top, and a cross-bar from which the front of saidseat is suspended, substantially as specified.

3. In a chair, a supporting-frame having the top and front cross-bars,as described, a

flexible back suspended from said top crossbar, said back being composedof a series of slats and flexible supporting-wires, rigid angularconnecting-bars attached to said wires, and a flexible seat attached atone end to the front cross-bar of said frame and at the other to saidangular connectingbars, substantially as specified.

4. In a chair, a supporting-frame having a cross-bar at or near the top,flexible supporting-wires connected to said cross-bar, connecting piecesor slat-s attached to said flexible wires, rigid angularconnecting-pieces below said slats, also connected to said wires,flexible seat-supporting strips connected to said angularconnecting-pieces, and cross bars or slats on said flexiblesupporting-strips, said flexible supporting-strips being connected to across-bar at the front of said seat in said frame, substantially asspecified.

5. In a chair, a flexible back and a flexible seat and rigid angularconnecting-pieces forming a connection between said back and seat, saidconnecting-pieces being provided with projecting ears or flanges towhich the back is connected, substantially as specified.

6. In a chair, a flexible back formed with transverse slats andsupporting flexible Wires, rigid angular connecting-pieces having earsor flanges perforated to receive said wires, said wires being bent andsecured in the body of said angular pieces, and a flexible seatconnected to said back by said angular connecting-pieces, substantiallyas specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of March,A. D. 1892.

JOHN W. HAMILTON.

Witnesses:

PAUL A. STALEY, FRANK WATT.

